celeste

We will be in Madrid (end of April) for 2 days (Sat. & Sun.) and are planning to DT to Toledo on Sun. Due to time constraints, we're planning to just go to Palacio Real and Prado and do our Spain shopping on our way back to US. I don't want to miss Toledo but please tell me if this is doable or practical. We're planning to be in Toledo for half a day. Also, our hotel is near the Atocha station, which one is better (time/cost wise) taking the bus or train. Thanks.

local

Celeste<BR><BR>Doable and recommendable.<BR><BR>We just came back from there (3 days) and stayed at the Opera Hotel, very close to the Palacio Real. (Hotel is highly recommended.)<BR><BR>They have an opera night at the hotel's restaurant every night when singers from the opera school sing well-known opera songs while you have dinner. We really enjoyed this.<BR><BR>We went by bus to Toledo - will get you the cost, can't remember it know. It was an hour trip - no problem. I know that there are also trains to Toledo that take about the same time.<BR><BR>We bought a "hop-on, hop-off" ticket for one of the bus companies that provide such a service in Madrid. It takes you to all the major sites in Madrid and you can hop-on or off as you like. If time is an issue, this is a good way to see a lot of Madrid in a short time.<BR><BR>If you are in the Prado, go to the basement where the cafeteria is. Before you get to the cafeteria, you get to a smallish exhibition room that is actually a vault. The most amazing sculpturing from precious stones is exhibited here.<BR><BR>In Toledo we went to the Cathedral and if nothing else, the mere size of the building will impress you. They also have a "promo-train" that runs non-stop for an hour in and around the city. Do remember to take your walking shoes and brace yourself for some serious and sometimes very hilly walking.<BR><BR>Also check out www.madridman.com for good info on Madrid.

mimi

We took the train to Toledo from the train station you are staying near. It was not more than an hour and very comfortable with many trains running each day. From the train station in Toledo you can hire a cab to drive you to the sights or walk into the town ride the tram around the hills.

celeste

Thanks local and Mimi. Re bus vs. train going to Toledo, which one will arrive near the center of town specifically, the cathedral?

Maribel

Celeste,<BR>Neither the train nor the bus will leave you near the cathedral; they will deposit you outside the walls of the city, and you will then need to taxi or bus (looong uphill walk!-walking in Toledo can be exhausting even for the very fit) to the Plaza del Zocodovar-the heart of Toledo. It's a short downhill walk from there to the Cathedral down a street filled with stores selling Majorica pearls, swords, Toledo ware jewelry ("damasquinado"). To visit the cathedral and its amazing Sacristy and Sala Capitular, buy your ticket (500 pts.-or was last yr) at the Palacios y Museos gift shop across from the cathedral entrance. The bus from the huge Estacion Sur de Autobuses (metro grey circular line #6, stop is Mendez Alvaro, right under the bus station) runs every half hr. and takes an hr. if you catch an express-other busses stop at multilple towns along the route. The trains for Toledo depart from the Atocha station, within a very easy walking distance from the Hotel Mora on the Paseo del Prado but don't leave nearly as frequently and take a wee bit more time and cost a bit more. See the current schedule at http://www.renfe.es<BR>There's currently a "Regional Express" departure at 8:30 a.m. arriving in Toledo at 9:47 (good timing). To return via train you could catch the 4:30 train arriving back into Madrid at 5:20. If you will be staying at the Mora, you'll find it easier to walk down to Atocha and take the train if the departure times fit your schedule.<BR>Hope this helps you.<BR>

celeste

Thanks Maribel, I see you're back! Yes, we are staying at the Hotel Mora and I think we will just take the train as we are near the Atocha station. Do you know if the shops are open on Sundays? Would you know the location of the Hotel Cardenal (we're planning to eat our lunch at their restaurant)? Thanks again.

Maribel

Hi Celeste,<BR>Yes, do plan to have lunch (in the garden if weather allows) at the Hostal Cardenal on the Paseo de Recaredo #24 just down a bit and directly to the right of the Puerta Nueva de Bisagra (looking at it from outside), one of the medieval entry gates to the Old City. It's a steep climb up or down from the major sites to the Cardenal, but all walking in Toledo requires a good climb. After lunch, if you take a left when exiting the gate of the Cardenal and walk down the Paseo a bit, you'll see to your left an escalator (escalera mecanica), a new "people mover" inaugurated fairly recently that will take you up to the steep hill to the Old City once again. <BR>As far as Sunday shopping in Madrid goes, the only shops which might be open for you nearby would be the tourist shops above the Mora towards the Hotel Palace on the Paseo del Prado selling Majorica pearls, Toledo swords and "damasquinado" jewelry and other souvenirs. Madrid's department store, El Corte Ingles, is allowed to open only one Sunday every 6-8 (?) weeks. We visited Toledo last June on a Sunday and found all shops open for business, even on the most important religious festival of the year for the Toledanos, Corpus Christi. Some did close during siesta, but the stores of Toledo depend heavily, almost completely on the tourist trade, so you'll always find a place to shop there.<BR>Have fun!